monday at the movies: The Help

The morning after. There were some regrettable decisions made, perhaps, but many memorable moments, punctuated the night.

I mean The Oscars, of course.

And though there were several good movies to watch this year, one of my favorites was The Help.

Primarily, it was the love/hate nature of the film that kept me drawn into the story. Small triumphs frequently won over mean-spirited moments. And the period details--I loved them! The aqua blue kitchens, pink bathrooms, convertible Cadillacs, slick, tall, bouffants, cinched waist cotton dresses, and more than a few doilies. I loved the babushka-tied headscarves, the southern accents, even the crisp gray housekeeper uniforms, though they represented some questionable trends of the time. I wanted to hunt down and beat some of those characters, and some scenes were quite difficult to watch. They were always interspersed with lighter scenes--and quite a few were filled with foods of the time. Who will forget the fried chicken, the deviled eggs.....the chocolate pie! The ladies' luncheons were perfect excuses to serve the iconic foods of the time.

So it was with a fondness for the movie we both so enjoyed that my friend, Karen, and I, hunkered down to watch the Oscars with snacks inspired by The Help--cocktails and tea sandwiches, three ways.

Cucumber with Black Pepper Boursin Pecan Spread

Radish with Salted Herbed Butter Spread

Pear and Pepper Candied Bacon on Blue Cheese Thyme Spread

Black Pepper Boursin Pecan Spread

4 oz Boursin Cheese, Black Pepper

3 T sour cream

2 T chopped pecans

Blend all ingredients together well, and spread on whole wheat baguette rounds. Top with thin slices of cucumber.

Agreed! I love Streep and she is, of course, wonderful, but this year I thought she was not as strong as others, and I was rooting for Viola Davis. The Artist is fun and entertaining, but I'm not sure I'm able to agree with the best picture award. And Damien Bejshir's was hands-down the best actor performance. And if there was a movie I abhorred....well that would be Tree of Life. That was for the artsiest of arthouse movie lovers.